The records of the Connor Lumber and Land Company consist of the records of the Connor
Lumber and Land Company, Connor Forest Industries, the R. Connor Company, and various
subsidiary and related interests. The records date mainly from the 1920s to the 1940s.
Because Connor Lumber and Land Company was a family business, with many subsidiaries and
with family members participating in the management of their diverse interests, the records
of the various concerns often overlap. However, the records have been arranged according to
the company or individual that maintained the files. The five series in the collection are:
CONNOR LUMBER AND LAND COMPANY, R. CONNOR COMPANY, SUBSIDIARY AND RELATED INTERESTS, TOWN OF LAONA RECORDS, and FILMS AND VIDEO RECORDINGS.
The CONNOR LUMBER AND LAND COMPANY records are the most extensive records in the collection
and are arranged by record type and subject: background, correspondence, land, legal,
financial, logging, plant operations and production, and labor records. Historical
background materials include a company history written in 1972, as well as writings and
publications by family members. The correspondence forms the core of the collection and is
comprised of the correspondence of family members William D. Connor Sr., William D. Connor
Jr., Richard M. Connor, and Gordon R. Connor as well as general business correspondence,
manager L. D. Beard's files, and inter-office correspondence. The correspondence consists of
incoming and outgoing letters and is organized chronologically and alphabetically thereunder
by correspondent. As a whole, the correspondence provides excellent documentation of the
business practices of the company from 1914 to 1951. The correspondence of the family
members is particularly valuable because it is often written to other family members and
details company management decision-making and policy development in addition to family
matters.
William D. Connor Sr.'s correspondence files, 1924 to 1937, document his involvement in
local politics, national issues, and business matters. Notable correspondents are Robert M.
La Follette Jr. and Irvine L. Lenroot. Extensive letters to his sons detailing his business
perspective, advice, and management style are located in his sons' correspondence files.
The correspondence of William D. Connor Jr. extends from 1919 to 1941 and contains letters
between Connor, his father and brothers, as well as political and business colleagues. For
the 1920s many letters concern the promotion of tourism and Forest County politics. Tourism
materials include correspondence with the Wisconsin Land O'Lakes, an agency established to
encourage recreational use of northern Wisconsin, and letters to Lew Sarett, a popular poet
brought in to publicize the area. Business activities and the reorganization of the R.
Connor Company are the main subjects of the 1930s.
The 1938 to 1941 files contain important materials on the Connor Lumber and Land
negotiations with the AFL and CIO locals and on the National Labor Relations Board election.
Noteworthy political correspondents include Robert M. La Follette Jr. and Irvine L. Lenroot
for the year 1926. The 1941 file includes letters from a cousin, Elizabeth Witter, who was
living in occupied France.
Richard M. Connor's correspondence is largely from the years 1938 to 1948. The letters deal
extensively with labor relations and labor strategy during the years 1938 to 1940 and the
1938 file on the CIO is of special note. Correspondents include Joshua Johns, Alexander
Wiley, and Dean Witter.
The correspondence files of Gordon R. Connor are fragmentary, containing only a few files
from 1921 to 1951 on financial aspects of the business such as the division of shares among
the family members and the operations of the Canadian Puget Sound Lumber and Timber Company
from 1932 to 1948. Gordon's diary notes on the Depression, 1929-1931, are also included.
The General Business Correspondence, 1914-1944, contains routine business communications
concerning sales and production documenting the Connor family's manner of doing business.
Also discussed within this context are the Forest Crop Law, child labor laws, payment of
teachers with credit during the Depression, and the National Recovery Act. Company manager
L. D. Beard's files, 1924-1933, are arranged by subject and include correspondence
concerning the R. Connor Company reorganization and the union arbitration in 1942.
Inter-office files, 1928-1933, contain the important memoranda circulated within the company
iterating company policy and its implementation.
The Land Records, in volume form, provide documentation of the land holdings of the company
from 1900 to 1911. They are complemented by the Legal Records on the placing of lands under
the Forest Crop Act for the period from 1928 to 1935. Other legal files include legal
opinions, files on specific cases, of the land holdings of the company from 1900 to 1911.
They are complemented by the Legal Records on the placing of lands under the Forest Crop Act
for the period from 1928 to 1935. Other legal files include legal opinions, files on
specific cases such as the Kingston case of 1919-1921, and contracts. The latter category
includes information on the bids for construction of Civilian Conservation Corps camps,
1933-1934. Court records on the appeal in Gogebic County, Michigan, in 1944 of the loss of
5000 acres of land to the Porcupine Mountain State Wilderness Park complete the section.
The Financial Records are not complete, but do touch on nearly every aspect of the
financial operation of the company. The mixed nature of the business interests of the family
results in overlap with financial records of the R. Connor Company and the subsidiary
interests. The key financial file for establishing the organization of the company's
finances is in the reserve balance sheet of 1927. The most analytical and summary of the
financial records are the accounting statements, especially the cost and comparative
statements and the trial balances. Spanning the years 1901 to 1946, these statements, when
used in conjunction with the financial reports and audits, provide a complete year by year
analysis of the performance of the company. Fortunately, the Depression years are
particularly well covered. Other financial records include lumber sales data (1901-1955),
and production records of the sawmill (1901-1931) and the flooring mill (1924-1927 and
1948-1956). Scattered journals detail expenses for 1912; shipping, 1941-1943; wholesale
sales, 1932-1961; and wood sales to employees, 1924-1948.
Production documentation is by logging and plant operations records. Logging records,
1914-1939, illustrate both the timber cruise (or evaluation process) and log cutting aspects
of the business. Included in the records are detailed timber cruise reports on a county or
township basis, lumber cut and loaded, and the costs of maintaining the logging camps. Plant
Operation files provide detail on the production process. Physical plant records include
supplier correspondence from 1925 to 1941 and equipment inventories for 1928 and 1930. The
manufacture of by-products is extensively documented for the years 1929 to 1939 in the
product files, which are organized by specific product such as cedar shingle tow, heel
stock, juvenile furniture, sawdust, and wood flour.
The Labor Records give valuable information on an organizing effort at the company from
1937 to 1940. The struggle between the AFL (United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners)
and the CIO (International Woodworkers of America) is in literature collected by the
company. The company's perspective on their role and on the National Labor Relations Board
case is in the key files on the National Labor Relations Board, which contain notes the
company made for its testimony at the hearing. Ample material is available on employee
relations in general including health, injuries, grievances, specific cases, and
unemployment compensation. Other important files include those on the plans for company
housing and on the activities of the Connor Labor Protective Association, formed by the
Connor company. Wage surveys, plans, and cost comparisons complete the labor records.
Related information on labor relations is in the correspondence of the company
executives.
The R. CONNOR COMPANY records are comprised of correspondence, legal files, and financial
records. The correspondence is limited to the period from 1915 through 1934 for the
Marshfield office and for 1934 for the Stratford office. While the correspondence primarily
concerns routine matters, it is often directed to other company officials and illustrates
company policy. The Legal Files provide detailed documentation of the financial difficulties
of the company during the Depression which led to its declaration of a 77-B bankruptcy in
1935. Reorganization plans, agreements, bonds, and creditor relations are also included.
Financial Records of the company provide a more complete record of the daily financial
operation than do the records of the Connor Lumber and Land Company. General accounting
records from 1922 to 1934, lumber sales for 1918 to 1927, and payroll records for 1932 to
1939 are complemented by financial records from five offices of the company. Detailed
payroll ledgers exist for Auburndale (1923-1934), Connorville (1928-1937), and Wakefield
(1927-1928) as well as the camp expense journal for Wakefield (1926-1931). The Marshfield
and Stratford offices are more thoroughly documented. For Marshfield, there is a land record
(1902-1908), freight claims (1930-1933) and an extensive run of journals (1899-1948).
Stratford operations include a land record (1907-1912), journals (1900-1910, 1919-1927), and
general and expense ledgers (1910-1927). All are in volume form. A related series of records
is in the financial records of the Connor Lumber and Land Company.
SUBSIDIARY AND RELATED INTEREST files document many topics, but for each company are
limited to partial records. As a whole, however, they illustrate the scope of the business
activities of the Connor business empire and they provide some detail on the operations of
the companies. The Biever Motor Company records consist of routine business and sales
correspondence(1917-1928), financial records (1923-1928), and sales reports. The Brown
Brothers Lumber Company files are fairly extensive since the Connor family owned stock in
the company and sat on the board of directors. The records consist of a board of directors'
file (1941), correspondence (1933-1942), detailed files on the estate problems (1939-1944),
financial records (1933-1942), and legal records (1935-1943). The significant records for
the Canadian Puget Sound Lumber and Timber Company include a board of directors' file
(1941-1945), correspondence (1945-1946), financial records (1943-1945), and partnership
records (1942-1945). Connor Brothers Inc., a holding company for the family, includes a
journal and ledger for the years 1937 to 1947.
Connor Builder's Supply Company, Connor Farms, Connor Retail Yard, Laona State Bank, Laona
Store, and Security Insurance Agency are primarily represented by financial records
detailing the financial operations of the companies, although a limited amount of
correspondence may also be included. More complete records exist for the railroads. The
Laona and Northern Railroad records consist of financial records from 1903 to 1910 and
letterpress correspondence regarding both operations and shipments for the years 1902 to
1935. For the Marathon County Railroad, both ledgers and journals for the years 1903 to 1928
are available. There is also a substantial body of material on the Laona Public Service
Utility, including annual reports (1929-1935), correspondence (1925-1937), and financial
records (1932-1936).
A small quantity of subject files concerning the TOWN OF LAONA contain information on
public schools, relief work, and the proposed organization of a town of Independence in
Laona in 1923 to 1929.
The FILMS AND VIDEO RECORDINGS include silent Connor family home movies and travel footage,
1928-1939; silent footage of Connor lumber camps and logging operations, 1930s-1950s; and a
promotional style documentary about the company and its products, titled “Connor
Country,” circa 1976. Also included is a videorecording containing footage at several
natural parks and resorts in Northern Wisconsin and the Michigan Upper Peninsula, 1927.
